DURING Women's History Month, it's easy to list famous women, but many lesser-known ones who have had a significant impact on our culture are often forgotten. One such person with Baltimore roots is Anne Wiggins Brown, a product of Douglass High School and a Presstman Street rowhouse, who with her classically trained voice helped pave the way for African-Americans on Broadway in the 1930s.

It was Ms. Brown who put "Bess" into the title of the opera George Gershwin intended to call "Porgy." Gershwin was well into writing the music for an opera based on DuBose Heyward's novel "Porgy" when Ms. Brown, still a student at the Juilliard School and hoping to land a role in the new work, wrote to the composer asking for an audition.

After hearing her sing the spiritual "City Called Heaven," Gershwin knew he had found the perfect Bess. So perfect, in fact, that he expanded the role.

"With Black History Month in full swing and Rosa Park's birthday just behind us, it dawned on me to educate those who aren't aware of the girl who first refused to move her seat. With prejudice and injustice still prevalent and the #BlackLivesMatter movement becoming more powerful than ever (looking at you, Beyonce!), some of the original Civil Rights Movement heroes are worth learning more about. Most of us know the story of Rosa Parks, but few know the story of Claudette Colvin."